Monsoon

Monsoon
Production information
Manufacturer	Terran Hegemony
Introduced	2368
Production Year	2368
Use	Battleship
Tech Base	Inner Sphere
Cost	7,360,038,000 C-bills
Technical specifications
Mass	1,310,000 tons
Length	1,108 meters
Sail Diameter	1,400 meters
Fuel	6,000 tons
Burn Rate	39.52
Safe Thrust	1 g
Top Thrust	1.5 g
Sail Integrity	6
KF Drive Integrity	26
LF Battery	No (see variants)
Armament	8x NAC/30 20x medium NPPC 3x White Shark 12x NAC/35
Armor	2,356.5 tons standard
DropShip Capacity	6
Crew	572 102 Officers 420 Enlisted 50 Gunners Bay Personnel: 76
Grav Decks	3 (1 x 95 meters, 1 x 65 meters, and 1 x 55 meters diameter)
Escape Pods/Life Boats	12/32
Heat Sinks	4,985 single
Structural Integrity	90
BV (1.0)	162,704

Description

Designed to capitalize on the technological and tactical improvements discovered through the original WarShips, including the TAS Dreadnought, the Monsoon-class battleship was designed to dominate the void – and became the blueprint for subsequent ships over four centuries.

However, despite the legendary status of the venerable Monsoon-class, technological development eventually led to the obsolescence of the Monsoon. Unwilling to let the class go, the admiralty of the Terran Hegemony spent ever-increasing amounts of money to upgrade the Monsoon. However, in the wake of the Reunification War, the admiralty finally conceded, and the last Monsoon was decommissioned in 2668. The last major upgrade to be performed on the Monsoon was the installation of lithium-fusion batteries; however, only 10 ships had the batteries installed before the upgrade was stopped and the surviving ships mothballed.

At least some of the decommissioned Monsoons were either sold or gifted to Star League member states during the Star League era; as of April 2765 the Rim Worlds Republic had seven Monsoons in service as a part of the Republic navy. At least one Monsoon would end up as part of Alexander Kerensky's Exodus Fleet, its final disposition unknown.

Armament

Entirely armed with naval-grade weaponry, the Monsoon was a monster. However, the venerable Monsoon couldn't stand toe-to-toe with later constructed battleships, including the Farragut-class.

The broadside batteries of the Monsoon were mostly composed of naval lasers. These, combined with naval PPCs, several naval autocannons, and a trio of White Shark missile systems, meant that the armament of the Monsoon was capable of defeating any single, smaller adversary.

Cargo

A large ship, the Monsoon-class was able to carry a massive amount of cargo. The class is fitted with 6 DropShip collars and has 3 bays.

• Bay 1: Aerospace fighters (18), 2 doors
• Bay 2: Small Craft (8), 2 doors
• Bay 3: Cargo (295,637.5 tons), 2 doors

Variants

Monsoon (LF) 

SLDF Admirals unwilling to let go of the halcyon beginnings of their careers authorized vain attempts at keeping the Monsoon relevant. Expensive Lithium-Fusion Battery upgrades were the last grasp, with refits beginning in 2574. Only 10 were successfully upgraded before their excuses ran out and the retirement of the class. Installing the battery systems reduced the amount of cargo that could be carried by 13,100 tons.

Gallery

• 

  Original Monsoon from TRO:3057 Revised

• 

  A Monsoon-class battleship taking part in the SLDF Exodus from Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2

See Also

• List of named Monsoon-class WarShips.

Bibliography

• Field Report 2765: Periphery
• Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2
• Technical Readout: 3057 Revised